Work of the Week | Katie Walker, Ribbon rocking chair, Designed 2006, Made 2018

Katie Walker
Ribbon rocking chair
Designed 2006, Made 2018
Artists stamp 'Katie Walker Furniture' (on underside on leather seat) and numbered and dated 'RR-06-014-18' (on metal bar on underside of leather seat)
Ash, brushed stainless steel and natural vegetable tanned saddle leather
86 x 79 x 113 cm
2ft 9 ⅞ x 2ft 7 ⅛ x 3ft 8 ½ in.

Victor Pasmore
Brown Symphony
1975
Oil on natural wood projective painting
99.5 x 72 x 10 cm
39 1/8 x 28 3/8 x 4 in.

Katie Walker designs furniture with a sculptural approach and a desire for structural integrity. By distinctively combining form and function, she creates furniture that is user-friendly and ergonomic whilst retaining visual simplicity and a minimalist quality. Katie Walker prioritises the use of sustainable materials and labour practices to ensure processes that minimise their environmental impact.

The Ribbon rocking chair was inspired by Naum Gabo’s ‘Spheric Theme’; the backrest, armrests and runners are made from one continuous piece, creating a single fluid form that is light, both visually and physically. Each piece is made individually by hand. The chair consists of three main component parts: the laminated ash wood 'ribbon'; the leather covered plywood seat shell and the stainless steel rod framework, resulting in a rigid form of great strength. Walker's approach creates furniture that is durable, yet comfortable, manifesting in interesting sculptural forms. Ribbon rocking chair won the Wood Award in 2006, the Wesley-Barrell Craft Award 2007, and was Grand Designs Product of the Year. One of Katie Walker's Ribbon rocking chair's is currently on display in the Manchester Art Gallery, as part of their Craft and Design Collection.

Katie Walker
Pin-stripe
2025
English oak, English ash and Indian ink
181 x 169.5 x 3.5 cm
71 ¼ x 66 ¾ x 1 ⅜ in.
3 panels of with width of 56.5 cm / 22 ¼ in.

New to the park, Katie Walker's Pin-stripe is a striking focal point in the Cube, a predominately glass building in the courtyard designed by the architect Stephen Marshall. As for Screen (i), Walker drew inspiration from Bridget Riley's painting Breathe, a significant piece in the Op Art Movement; the interlocking monochromatic triangles give the illusion of movement across the page, like breath. Katie Walker rendered this effect three dimensionally. When we move around the piece, this illusion is made far more palpable, with the added effect of three separate screens at different angles that make up the whole.

Katie Walker is ever evolving and consolidating her practice. Informed by curiosity and a love of her medium, she experiments with her favourite forms and ideas. The new screen, aptly titled Pin-stripe is more densely packed, with thinner slats of ash, enhancing the optical illusion. She has also adopted a new method of colouring the wood. Attempting to char such thin pieces failed as they burnt, so they are instead dyed with a shellac-based Indian ink, which takes to the wood beautifully. For other architectural pieces, exploring the same concept, Walker ebonized oak slats with steel wool and vinegar resulting in a beautiful, deep indigo black. To find out more about Katie Walker, please enquire below: